Control unit of aerosol generation device

Abstract

A control unit of an aerosol generation device includes: a sensor configured to output inhalation by a user; and a processing device configured to control discharge from a power supply to an atomizer configured to atomize an aerosol source. The processing device is configured: to acquire an inhalation time that is a length of each inhalation and an discharge time that is a length of discharge to the atomizer corresponding to each inhalation, based on an output of the sensor; and to acquire at least one of a remaining amount of a flavor source configured to add flavor to aerosol generated from the aerosol source and a consumed amount of the flavor source, based on the inhalation time and the discharge time.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A control unit of an aerosol generation device comprising:
 a sensor configured to output inhalation by a user; and   a processing device configured to control discharge from a power supply to an atomizer configured to atomize an aerosol source,   wherein the processing device is configured:   to acquire an inhalation time that is a length of each inhalation and an discharge time that is a length of discharge to the atomizer corresponding to each inhalation, based on an output of the sensor; and   to acquire at least one of a remaining amount of a flavor source configured to add flavor to aerosol generated from the aerosol source and a consumed amount of the flavor source, based on the inhalation time and the discharge time.   
     
     
         2 . The control unit of an aerosol generation device according to  claim 1 , wherein the processing device is configured to acquire at least one of the remaining amount of the flavor source and the consumed amount of the flavor source, based on comparison of the inhalation time and the discharge time. 
     
     
         3 . The control unit of an aerosol generation device according to  claim 1 , wherein the processing device is configured:
 to acquire at least one of the remaining amount of the flavor source and the consumed amount of the flavor source by using a first algorithm when the inhalation time is longer than the discharge time corresponding to the inhalation time; and   to acquire at least one of the remaining amount of the flavor source and the consumed amount of the flavor source by using a second algorithm different from the first algorithm when the inhalation time is equal to or shorter than the discharge time corresponding to the inhalation time.   
     
     
         4 . The control unit of an aerosol generation device according to  claim 1 , wherein a decrease aspect of the remaining amount of the flavor source corresponding to an increase in the inhalation time when the inhalation time is longer than the discharge time corresponding to the inhalation time is different from a decrease aspect of the remaining amount of the flavor source with respect to an increase in the discharge time when the inhalation time is equal to or shorter than the discharge time corresponding to the inhalation time, and/or
 wherein an increase aspect of the consumed amount of the flavor source with respect to an increase in the inhalation time when the inhalation time is longer than the discharge time corresponding to the inhalation time is different from an increase aspect of the consumed amount of the flavor source with respect to an increase in the inhalation time when the inhalation time is equal to or shorter than the discharge time corresponding to the inhalation time.   
     
     
         5 . The control unit of an aerosol generation device according to  claim 1 , wherein the processing device is configured:
 to decrease the remaining amount of the flavor source according to an increase in difference between the inhalation time and the discharge time corresponding to the inhalation time when the inhalation time is longer than the discharge time corresponding to the inhalation time, and to decrease the remaining amount of the flavor source according to an increase in the discharge time corresponding to the inhalation time when the inhalation time is equal to or shorter than the discharge time corresponding to the inhalation time; and/or   to increase the consumed amount of the flavor source according to an increase in difference between the inhalation time and the discharge time corresponding to the inhalation time when the inhalation time is longer than the discharge time corresponding to the inhalation time, and to increase the consumed amount of the flavor source according to an increase in the discharge time corresponding to the inhalation time when the inhalation time is equal to or shorter than the discharge time corresponding to the inhalation time.   
     
     
         6 . The control unit of an aerosol generation device according to  claim 1 , wherein when the inhalation time is equal to or shorter than the discharge time corresponding to the inhalation time, the processing device is configured to monotonically decrease the remaining amount of the flavor source with respect to the discharge time, and/or to monotonically increase the consumed amount of the flavor source with respect to the discharge time. 
     
     
         7 . The control unit of an aerosol generation device according to  claim 6 , wherein when the inhalation time is equal to or shorter than the discharge time corresponding to the inhalation time and exceeds a threshold value, the processing device is configured to accelerate at least one of a decrease in the remaining amount of the flavor source and an increase in the consumed amount of the flavor source according to an increase in the discharge time. 
     
     
         8 . The control unit of an aerosol generation device according to  claim 1 , wherein when the inhalation time is longer than the discharge time corresponding to the inhalation time, the processing device is configured to monotonically decrease at least partially the remaining amount of the flavor source with respect to a difference between the inhalation time and the discharge time corresponding to the inhalation time, and/or to monotonically increase at least partially the consumed amount of the flavor source with respect to the difference. 
     
     
         9 . The control unit of an aerosol generation device according to  claim 1 , wherein the processing device is configured so that:
 a decrease aspect of the remaining amount of the flavor source corresponding to a difference between the inhalation time and the discharge time corresponding to the inhalation time when the inhalation time is longer than the discharge time and the difference is less than a second threshold value is different from a decrease aspect of the remaining amount of the flavor source corresponding to the difference when the inhalation time is longer than the discharge time and the difference is equal to or greater than the second threshold value; and/or   an increase aspect of the consumed amount of the flavor source corresponding to the difference when the inhalation time is longer than the discharge time corresponding to the inhalation time and the difference is less than the second threshold value is different from an increase aspect of the consumed amount of the flavor source corresponding to the difference when the inhalation time is longer than the discharge time and the difference is equal to or greater than the second threshold value.   
     
     
         10 . The control unit of an aerosol generation device according to  claim 9 , wherein the processing device is configured:
 to monotonically decrease the remaining amount of the flavor source with respect to the difference when the inhalation time is longer than the discharge time corresponding to the inhalation time and the difference is less than the second threshold value, and to set the remaining amount of the flavor source to be constant with respect to the difference when the inhalation time is longer than the discharge time corresponding to the inhalation time and the difference is equal to or greater than the second threshold value; and/or   to monotonically increase the consumed amount of the flavor source with respect to the difference when the inhalation time is longer than the discharge time corresponding to the inhalation time and the difference is less than the second threshold value, and to set the consumed amount of the flavor source to be constant with respect to the difference when the inhalation time is longer than the discharge time corresponding to the inhalation time and the difference is equal to or greater than the second threshold value.   
     
     
         11 . The control unit of an aerosol generation device according to  claim 1 , wherein the processing device is configured to acquire at least one of a remaining amount of the aerosol source and a consumed amount of the aerosol source, based on the inhalation time and the discharge time. 
     
     
         12 . A control unit of an aerosol generation device comprising:
 a sensor configured to output inhalation by a user; and   a processing device configured to control discharge from a power supply to an atomizer configured to atomize an aerosol source,   wherein the processing device is configured:   to acquire an inhalation time that is a length of each inhalation and an discharge time that is a length of discharge to the atomizer corresponding to each inhalation, based on an output of the sensor; and   to acquire at least one of a remaining amount of the aerosol source and a consumed amount of the aerosol source, based on the inhalation time and the discharge time.